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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27410479">something soulless</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>'zula's still gots a war to win sooo, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Not A Happy Ending, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, i mean ofc it's not just look at the canonn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:20:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,587</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27410479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>with her soulmark follows the whispers.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang/Azula (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous Fics</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>something soulless</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>.</p>
</div><i>'azula's always lucky,'</i> they whisper amongst themselves, commoners of her realm.<p> </p><p>she wakes up one day with blue arrows and the air nomad sigil branded on her sternum and azula smirks. her ten year old face a display of power and cool against all odds.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <i>'the soulmate of the avatar'</i>
</p><p>
  <i>'the other half of the chosen one'</i>
</p><p> </p><p>her flames burn true and bright, as it always does. azula fans sapphire into a light but potent arc as she swings from her hands in a brilliant and colourful display. </p><p>a reprieve. a curse. the thought unbidden as she reflects on her mark, counting down the seconds with breaths meant to help with the tingling collecting on her fingers. she rises and doles out flames in quick succession towards an invisible opponent.</p><p>a knock on the training arena's doors bear a meek little servant mouse coming to collect her. eyes downcast, the servant relays the messages of her father. again, he wishes to see her.</p><p>she'd spent the whole morning training to maintain an empty mind and strong inner fire, but at the news only one of those she achieves to keep.</p><p>azula walks head high and with the gait of a princess. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <i>'think of the power'</i>
</p><p> </p><p>there's a steady heat as she meets the firelord, her forehead kissing the coolth of the ground as she puts a reign on her thoughts, like a woodsman holding the edge of a blade, chipping at her unsurety. the blaze alight in the throne room is a friend rising with a force that she's almost too intimately acquainted with.</p><p>but this time it's unbearably hot. </p><p>and apparently not hot enough. as the steps of her father only give fuel to the flame and the room turns its vicious heat and their judgment towards her to boil her alive. azula will not perish, she believes. </p><p>her fingers twitch.</p><p>"rise, daughter."</p><p>when her head turns towards her father. the gold she sees makes her feel like it's too late somehow.</p><p>'think of the power, azula,' she comforts herself with, as her father decides whether or not her shortcomings would be enough to tear her alive.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <i>'azula's born lucky,'</i>
</p><p> </p><p>blue flames, blue marks. the blue of the sky that greets her when she steps outside the smoltering room, with a threat in her head she'd read between the lines of her father's words.</p><p>
  <i>"a soulmark of air." ringing and not a question.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"yes, father," straight and dutiful of her nonetheless.</i>
</p><p><i>"i see my blood has destinies that bring the most glorious futures. you bear the fire nation a great honour in conquering the mark you hold." </i>i stand above. your mark means nothing to my nation. <i></i></p><p>
  <i>"of course, father." honest and dutiful. "thank you." </i>
</p><p>her semi-thoughtless walk leads her to the gardens. </p><p>zuko watches her approach, sitting just beyond the pond with a loaf of bread between his fisted fingers, and glaring at her with jealousy. azula knows he's as barren as the white wheat of bread he holds, markless yet.</p><p>this she's in control of, she thinks as she glides on over with a wicked grin, she feels the heat of the room having followed her but zuko's ire is a surprising balm to her rising emotions.</p><p>"hello, zuzu."</p><p>"azula."</p><p>"you musn't feed the ducks too long, they might fall in love with you, then where would you be with a mark of shell and feathers? mother isn't here to soothe that failure anymore,"</p><p>failure.</p><p>zuko's face flames. hands wavering with anger, shame, and grief that flashes on his face, always easy to read.</p><p>poor, zuzu.</p><p>"oh yeah? well at least i don't have a dead avatar that doesn't exist as my soulmate!"</p><p>he shouts with poisonous inferiority. the quacking pests surrounding him hurrying away, and she smirks in shiny bemusement. zuko hadn't failed to rise to her bait.</p><p>"'probably a good thing compared to being chained to someone like you!"</p><p>oh, zuko.</p><p>"you're right, zuzu. for once. it is a good thing," </p><p>her eyes dance with a burden, but suddenly, an impossible freedom.</p><p>"chains are made to keep the weak."  </p><p>(when zuko gets banished, sent to chase a ghost in the wind with a head full of sick and infection and a failure of an uncle as a side kick, azula reminisces fondly as she stares into the flames of her hands.</p><p>she prevails and her mark haunts him now too, more so than her.</p><p>but that's because she won't let it.</p><p>"get your dead avatar, zuzu. then maybe one of us will," she whispers into the night. her brother's ship has departed hours ago and it's as well of a wish as any.</p><p>alone, she paints his room in bright blue fire. and when morning comes, all thoughts of myths and travelling to the ends of the earth are erased from the forefront of her mind.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <i>'poor girl.'</i>
</p><p>
  <i>'soulmate's dead years ago'</i>
</p><p> </p><p>she hears the whispers of pity too. uttered by those who think beyond basic self-preservation, perhaps. she remembers a maid in her mother's likeness, the older ones with the softer hearts.</p><p>the way their long black hair flows freely and their eyes turn to look at her with a gentle sympathy she is disgusted with.</p><p>simply put, they haven't learn yet.</p><p>the things that set her dead mother and these commoners apart is the simple tunics they wear and the unfortunate circumstance that they are not, in fact, untouchable.</p><p>their pity turns to horror and azula's laugh burns at the back of her throat as her flames bend to her will.</p><p>she mourns for nothing. no one at all.</p><p>(she finds it baffling that that's the memory that springs up on her mind when she receives the news that there is, in fact, an avatar out there and alive.</p><p>alive.</p><p>breathing and her soulmate.</p><p>this she's sure of, for the uncomfortable stinging on the crown of her chest is not brought upon by mere anxiety. it's a ringing brought by a call from the universe.</p><p>it aches and her hate for <i>him and his life</i> accumulates as she lays kowtowed to the floor in front of her father with the mission to bring back her bumbling brother and uncle. </p><p>the firelord's eyes are proud of her, yet not as trusting as she would have liked. when was the last time she had seen them so cold and calculating, again?</p><p>later in the night, after she'd yet again been shook and reevaluated through words hidden like knives that her father's almost never used  against <i>her</i>, she stares into the mirror and plans well into the future. her nails dig into her chest, the constant beats lulling the melody for the start of her destiny like a war drum.)</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>.</p>
</div><p>("your fire's blue," is the first thing he says to her. grey eyes heavy with the underlying exhaustion of being chased for days, but there's none of that now as he looks at her with awe and electricity.</p><p>he's sitting on fallen rubble, anticipating her trail of him and his half-formed deceit.</p><p>"what's your name?"</p><p>a fool's question.</p><p>"i hardly think that's important right now, don't you, avatar?"</p><p>she asks, lest he forget that she's nothing else but his enemy. his inevitable demise.</p><p>her blood's pumping too, and for a second, she feels like a child again, listening to faerietales and folkmyths as the sun sets. her skin squirms restless at their encounter. </p><p>the air feels writ with promise, a weight she's certain that is not pulled off by the bender in front of her.</p><p>his fingers twitch, but his smile stays cautious. </p><p>he's excited, but not enough to let go of his inhibitions.</p><p>that's good. she honestly wouldn't know what to do if she had an idiot as her so-called universal partner. azula can maybe admit to herself that she wouldn't have accepted anything else.</p><p>she smirks with all her teeth and the avatar's pupils dilate at the threat.)</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>.</p>
</div><i>'now why would you do that, azula?'</i><p>
  <i>'...azula.'</i>
</p><p>
  </p><p> </p><p>
  <i>'monster'</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>now that one was unfair she would admit. as they're more of the whispers of her mind instead of those around her.</p><p>though, she reflects with a terrifying grin as lightning flashes from her eyes with her fingers pointed true at the avatar's - at her <i>soulmate's</i> - back, it is not unwarranted.</p><p>everything happens so fast.</p><p>her heart finally beats calm and her head is abuzz from the pleasure of her power as a million plans click into place, too perfect, as she always make sure it does.</p><p>watching the boy fall, her heart rises into a crescendo. she makes no mistake. the cave all echoes the sounds of the crackling of electricity, the booms of the flames, her twisted words departed to her dear brother, and the anguish of her enemy's side fallen.</p><p>zuko's eyes are wide. there's fear at the implications of what she had just done, how brutal she could really be. </p><p>cold and precise. deadly.</p><p>soulless.</p><p>her soulmark sings a dreadful pain but her stance does not falter.</p><p>her uncle steps in to grant the avatar and the water peasant reprieve, a laughable turn of events. but she knows she's already won.</p><p>she's immobile and serene as the dai li catches her uncle with rocks and gems from the same ground she feels thousands of feet away from and higher. her eyes are filled with peace and a sense of nothingness.</p><p>tomorrow she returns with her brother, back to the nation she'd been born to have a responsibility to answer to.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>will i ever write a follow-up that has a possible reconciliation? </p><p>who knows. *shrugs*</p><p> </p><p>dang it, u guys roped me into this snail of a train to nowhere *shakes fist*</p></blockquote></div></div>
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